Bachelor of Science in Computing Technology 1516... · 2019-06-20 · The Bachelor of Science in...

OPEN – AS&RED 1-3 November 15-16, 2018

University of Missouri – St. Louis Bachelor of Science in Computing Technology


Table of Contents Table of Contents_ .............................................................................................................................. 4 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 5

Academic Components and Career Paths ........................................................................................... 6 Program Evolution ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Preliminary Steps and Relationship to Current Courses and Programs ................................ 6 Person Responsible for Success .............................................................................................................. 6

2. Fit with University Mission and Other Academic Programs ......................................... 7 2.A. Alignment with Mission and Goals ............................................................................................... 7

UM and UMSL Mission Statements ................................................................................................... 7 The proposed program will provide excellent instruction as it serves UMSL students who come largely from the St. Louis region and more broadly from the state and will provide economic benefit to the region. The program will also be available at night, meeting the needs of nontraditional students. Thus, the program aligns well with the UM and UMSL Mission Statements. .......................................................................................... 7 UMSL Strategic Plan ................................................................................................................................ 7 Program Priority ...................................................................................................................................... 7

2.B. Duplication and Collaboration within Campus and Across System ............................... 7 Program Duplication .............................................................................................................................. 7 Collaborations ........................................................................................................................................... 8

3. Business-Related Criteria and Justification ......................................................................... 9 3.A. Market Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 9

3.A.1. Need for Program ....................................................................................................................... 9 The Current BS in Computer Science Degree ............................................................................... 9 Goals for the New CT degree Program ............................................................................................ 9 Data on Current BS in CS and Interpretation ............................................................................... 9 Need for a New Degree Program ....................................................................................................... 9 What is Computing Technology ....................................................................................................... 11 Proposed Bachelor of Science in Computing Technology ..................................................... 11 3.A.2. Student Demand for Program ............................................................................................. 12

3.B. Financial Projections ............................................................................................................. 13 3.B.1. Additional Resources Needed ............................................................................................. 13 3.B.2. Revenue ........................................................................................................................................ 13 3.B.3. Net Revenue ................................................................................................................................ 14 3.B.4. Financial and Academic Viability ....................................................................................... 14

3.C. Business and Marketing Plan: Recruiting and Retaining Students ...................... 16 4. Institutional Capacity ............................................................................................................... 16 5. Program Characteristics .......................................................................................................... 16

5.A. Program Outcomes ........................................................................................................................... 16 5.B. Structure ................................................................................................................................... 17

5.C. Program Design and Content ........................................................................................................ 18 PROGRAM STRUCTURE .................................................................................................................. 18

5.D. Program Goals and Assessment .................................................................................................. 20 5.E. Student Preparation ......................................................................................................................... 21 5.F. Faculty and Administration ............................................................................................................ 21 5.G. Alumni and Employer Survey ....................................................................................................... 22 5.H. Program Accreditation ..................................................................................................................... 22

Appendices ......................................................................................................................................... 22


Executive Summary The Bachelor of Science in Computing Technology (CT) is a new degree in Computer Science designed to attract new students and to better retain current students. While current degree programs prepare students for future graduate programs, the new Bachelor of CT is more practical and focuses on the business needs of the technology sector. The Bachelor of CT program will prepare students for careers in the current and future technology sectors. In Missouri, among the 10 jobs with the best outlook for employment, six are in Computer Science and technology (https://www.missourieconomy.org/pdfs/mo_it.pdf). The new Bachelor of CT program will likely grow as the growing demand for jobs in this field will stimulate student interest.

The current Computer Science degree does not serve well the needs of students who want to learn more about the applied and technological aspects of CS but are not interested in graduate school. The Bachelor of CT program differs from the existing CS program in that it requires less Math and removes some of the upper level Computer Science courses. The goals of the new Bachelor of CT degree program are to: 1) Increase the technological breadth of our graduates, to prepare them for current and future technology jobs. 2) Increase opportunities for students less interested in the mathematical foundations of Computer Science and more interested in the technological aspects of Computer Science. 3) Provide graduates who are better trained for the growing technology workforce needs of the local and state economy. 4) Increase the quality of the current program. 5) Provide depth for those interested and destined for future graduate studies. The six-year graduation rate in CS is approximately 50%. Upper level math and computing courses are barriers to graduation for many students. We wish to retain students by removing barriers and to attract new students by modernizing our elective offerings. With these changes, we anticipate improved retention and graduation rates in the new Bachelor of CT program.

The Bachelor of CT program will share courses with Computer Science (CS) and Information Systems in the College of Business Administration, increasing enrollment in these courses and making the program collaborative and cross-disciplinary. The new program does not require any new courses but instead makes better use of existing courses. We anticipate enrollment will grow substantially and will likely require the addition of new non-tenure track faculty. We will not add new faculty unless the increased enrollment metrics increased faculty number.

There is no similar program in Missouri, and an Internet search returns just a few programs like this in existence. The Bachelor of CT program differs from MU’s CS and Bachelors of Information Technology programs in the amount of math, computer science, information technology, and business courses required. Further, Bachelor of CT focuses more heavily on programming skills than does the Bachelors of IT. Thus the Bachelor of CT degree complements existing programs and offers future areas of collaboration among UM universities.

We anticipate strong interest in this program based on workforce data and interest from students. The Bachelor of CT program will help meet the workforce needs of St Louis and Missouri.

https://www.missourieconomy.org/pdfs/mo_it.pdf


1. Introduction Academic Components and Career Paths

The proposed program differs from the existing Computer Science (CS) program because it requires less Math. It also eliminates some of the traditional Computer Science courses (Cmp Sci) such as Compilers and Algorithms, which prepare students for future graduate studies. Instead it adds modern technology courses (.NET, Databases, Advanced Java, Secure Software). Some of the courses will be provided from Information Systems (InfSys) in the College of Business Administration, making the degree truly collaborative.

Students graduating with this new Bachelor of CT degree cannot enter a graduate program in CS without making up some courses, but instead they are ready to enter the workforce for careers such as a Web Developer, Database Administrator, App Developer, etc., depending on their choices of electives. The new program does not require any completely new courses but instead makes better utilization of existing courses from Cmp Sci, Math and InfSys.

Program Evolution The six-year graduation rate in CS is only about 50%, so we have attempted to retain students by modernizing our elective offerings and packaging them into interesting certificates (certificates in Data Science, Internet and Web, Mobile Apps, Cybersecurity). We have developed 15 new electives, mostly teaching state-of-the-art technology such as Android and iOS, deep learning, machine learning, data mining, cloud computing, Internet of Things, etc., which has increased retention of students who had dropped out of the program. However, some students still struggle to pass some of the senior-level standard CS courses needed for graduation. To better serve these students and to attract a new and different student population, it became apparent that we needed to introduce a different degree program.

Preliminary Steps and Relationship to Current Courses and Programs The new program overlaps with the current degree in CS on a number of courses. All the additional courses specific to this new Bachelor of CT degree already exist and currently rotate as electives – we are just packaging the courses with a different focus.

Person Responsible for Success Dr. Cezary Z. Janikow, the current Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, has developed the program and will be responsible for implementing and advertising, and he will also monitor the program’s outcome.


2. Fit with University Mission and Other Academic Programs

2.A. Alignment with Mission and Goals

UM and UMSL Mission Statements

The proposed program will provide excellent instruction as it serves UMSL students who come largely from the St. Louis region and more broadly from the state and will provide economic benefit to the region. The program will also be available at night, meeting the needs of nontraditional students. Thus, the program aligns well with the UM and UMSL Mission Statements.

UMSL Strategic Plan The recently developed strategic plan for UMSL calls for investing and growing the CS program. The proposed degree program fits within this priority framework, and it has the potential to attract many new students to campus.

Program Priority The proposed program is the most important undertaking in our department. It is strongly supported by members of our Computer Science Advisory Council, who have been helpful in the design of the new program. If projections prove to be accurate and the program attracts new students, we have a plan for a MS graduate degree, using the same ideas for distinguishing the new MS from the existing MS in CS.

2.B. Duplication and Collaboration within Campus and Across System

Program Duplication There is no other similar program in Missouri, and an Internet search returns just a few programs like this in existence across the world. University of Missouri - Columbia has CS as well as Information Technology (IT). After a few years both programs had about equal numbers of students, including many new students. This suggests that there is still capacity for new students in areas that are closely related to, but different from CS.

The Bachelors of Computing Technology program is complementary to the programs offered by MU.

Key differences between the Bachelors of Information Technology (IT) and Bachelors of Computing Technology (CT) Programs are:

• Bachelors of CT requires a math-major-level, five-credit Calculus I course. Bachelors of IT requires a non-math-major-level, three-credit Calculus course.

• Bachelors of CT requires Discrete Structures, a 3000-level math course. Bachelors of IT does not.

• Bachelors of CT requires nine computer science courses as part of the core courses. Bachelors of IT requires three computer science courses as part of the core courses.


• Bachelors of IT requires four information technology courses as part of the core courses. Bachelors of CT requires none.

• Bachelors of IT requires a business course. Bachelors of CT does not. • Bachelors of CT focuses more heavily on programming skills than does

Bachelors of IT. Audience for the Bachelors of Computing Technology (CT) Program:

• The Bachelors of CT program is designed to serve the place-bound UMSL student population and is designed to attract these place-bound St. Louis students, who now attend local private institutions that offer similar programs.

• The Bachelors of CT program is designed to retain current UMSL students who do not complete a degree Computer Science and leave the university.

The Bachelors of CT program will offer collaboration opportunities as both MU and UMSL are developing more online courses that could serve both the Bachelors of CT and Bachelors of IT programs. While the St. Louis region has many higher education institutions, only two public universities, UMSL and SIUE, offer a CS degree. A number of private educational institutions offer degrees, ranging from Computer Science degrees (Lindenwood University, Webster University, SLU, Washington University, etc.) to software, programming and network-related degrees in institutions such as the recently closed ITT Technical Institute. The CS degree programs at the private institutions often have a more technology-oriented curriculum than the more traditional Computer Science curriculum at UMSL. The St. Louis region is also served by a number of online programs, mostly focusing on Information Technology (IT), among them WGU Missouri and the University of Phoenix. None are public institutions; tuition can be prohibitive (University of Phoenix lists a 51-month program costing about $60,000 in tuitions and fees); and these programs tend to focus on the business side of technology. In order to compete with these institutions, UMSL needs to offer a more technologically-based degree in CS which will attract new students, retain students who are primarily interested in technology, and prepare students for the future workforce needs of the region.

Many universities, including UMSL, have degrees in Information Systems (IS), which are typically housed in Colleges of Business and do not serve the interests of the same students as do CS/CT. Although there is some overlap in the use of technology, the IS curriculum is more focused on business processes that go with that computer technology.

Collaborations We established collaborations with Information Systems, in the College of Business. As a result, we included two core courses from InfSys, and up to two additional electives, making the program collaborative and interdisciplinary.


3. Business-Related Criteria and Justification

3.A. Market Analysis

3.A.1. Need for Program

The Current BS in Computer Science Degree With the proliferation of technology in daily life, and the associated growth in employment opportunities in the technology sector, we have had large increases in the number of CS majors and in the number of students taking Cmp Sci courses. Overall, the undergraduate enrollment has almost doubled in the last five years. The most recent spike in enrollments for the undergraduate program is due to attracting new students, but also to retaining more students, and bringing back students who left the program, but have been attracted back by the 15 new electives (all introduced since 2013), currently being taught, that focus specifically on modern technology training,

Goals for the New CT degree Program 1. Increase the technological breadth of our graduates, to prepare them for

current and future technology jobs. 2. Increase opportunities for students less interested in the mathematical

foundations of Computer Science and more interested in the technological aspects of Computer Science.

3. Provide graduates who are better trained for the growing technology workforce needs of the local and state economy.

4. Increase the quality of the current program. 5. Provide depth for those interested and destined for future graduate studies.

Data on Current BS in CS and Interpretation About 20% of our Computer Science majors start as freshmen, while 80% are transfer students. The transfer students bring credits mostly in general education courses and electives, sometimes in Math, but rarely in CS. Only half of those starting as CS majors who graduate from UMSL, graduate in with a CS degree, and the other half graduate with other degrees. Many of the students who start in CS are very interested in the technology training, but often are frustrated by the intense Math courses (these students generally transfer to other majors) or deep computing senior-level courses that are required (these students generally drop out). The modern technology courses are more popular than the standard CS foundation courses as they attracted back many of the students who dropped out. We anticipate that by adding a new degree program, focusing more specifically on technology, we will retain many of the students who would have dropped out, allow returning students to complete a degree that they otherwise would not, and attract new students who are specifically interested in the computer technology.

Need for a New Degree Program The current CS degree does not serve well the needs of students who are not interested in graduate school, but who want to learn more about the applied and technological aspects of CS, with less emphasis on mathematics and computing


foundations. The proposed degree will address the interests of these students and of the technology workforce needs of the St. Louis region at the same time.

The data clearly indicate that there will be increasing workforce demand for graduates who have expertise in computer technology. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that jobs related to CS and CS technology will increase at least 10-20% in the next 10 years (http://www.bls.gov/ooh/occupation-finder.htm), with median pay (in 2016) of above $82,860 per year for employees with a BS degree (http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm). The Missouri economy is expected to require many new computer-related workers (https://www.missourieconomy.org/pdfs/mo_it.pdf).

A report from the market research company Validate (https://www.burning-glass.com; see Appendix 2) shows strong growth in jobs in the fields related to computer technology. They reported over 133,000 job postings in the last year in Missouri that require a BS in the area of computer technology. They predict that 10% growth in the job market in the next eight years (Appendix 2).

The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center https://www.missourieconomy.org/occupations/occ_proj.stm provides more specific data for Missouri (see Table A).

Table A. Missouri 2012-2022 Occupational Projections for positions requiring a technical BS degree. Wages 2013 last data found.

Traditional degree programs in Computer Science, and to a lesser extent Information Systems, cannot keep pace with the increasing demand, specializations, and fragmentation of the industry. New areas, such as mobile computing and cybersecurity, and new skill set needs have led to the development of new disciplines, such as Information Technology (IT), but additional new degree programs are and will be needed. As seen from the charts in Figure 2, more growth is expected in non-traditional computer science fields, although traditional CS fields will still tend to pay better. This suggests that while we need the traditional CS degree, many students will choose newer fields, such as those focusing on specific technologies and other emerging computing areas. The new CT degree program is designed to offer a wider and better choice in technology training.

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/occupation-finder.htm

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm


https://www.burning-glass.com/

https://www.burning-glass.com/

https://www.missourieconomy.org/occupations/occ_proj.stm


Figure 1. Growth in traditional CS fields vs. growth in IT (as an example of technological fields outside of traditional CS).

What is Computing Technology The education in Computer Science and related areas is governed by periodic recommendations by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ACM promotes several major disciplines, including Computer Science, Information Systems, and Information Technology; however, no two degree programs in the same discipline are necessarily the same. In fact, recently ACM recommendations have shifted from disciplines and courses to knowledge units, leading to skill sets.

The proposed CT degree program is similar to a CS degree but differs from CS by having a technology-oriented focus and this CT degree will compete with similar CS degrees offered by local private universities. This name is already used by some universities and may eventually be recognized as an emerging discipline, as recently happened with IT.

Proposed Bachelor of Science in Computing Technology The proposed degree is designed for students who are more interested in the technological aspects of CS and less interested in Math, and it will allow relatively easy transition between the current CS and the new CT degree programs. The two programs share the first six CS courses, a capstone course on the profession, and many electives, depending on the student’s interests. This will allow us to run these courses with higher enrollments, further increasing offerings and profits. While there are many common courses between the existing and the proposed programs, there are significant differences. CS requires Calculus II and Linear Algebra, in order to prepare students for the senior-level computer foundation courses required in the CS degree program. The new program does not require these math courses because it does not require the CS senior-level courses such as Analysis of Algorithms, Theory of Programming Languages, Compilers, and Operating Systems, and instead requires more diverse technology (breadth) Cmp Sci and some InfSys courses (see p. 16 for more details on requirements).


3.A.2. Student Demand for Program As shown on page seven, there is increasing demand for employees in the fields of computing and computing technology. In Missouri, among the 10 jobs with the best outlook for employment, six are in Computer Science and technology (https://www.missourieconomy.org/pdfs/mo_it.pdf). We believe that this increasing demand has resulted in our increasing enrollments in CS. The new CT program will likely grow as the growing demand for jobs in this field will stimulates student interest in the CT program.

Table 1a below presents total enrollment projections in the new CT program from all students. We anticipate that 125 of the current 375 CS majors will switch to the new CT degree program. These 125 who switch, in addition to 125 new CT students, are predicted to result in a total of 250 CT students over five years (Table 1a). This data assumes a third of the students are part time, which is typical for current students in the CS program.

Table 1a. Student Enrollment Projections for CT degree (total number of students enrolled in CT program during the fall semester of given year).

Year 1 2 3 4 5 Full-Time 34 68 100 134 168 Part-Time 16 32 50 66 82 Total 50 100 150 200 250

Table 1b shows only students new to UMSL because of this new program (excludes students choosing the new program over the existing program). Table 1b. Student Enrollment Projections for CT degree (number of students enrolled in CT program during the fall semester of given year who are new to campus because of this program).

Year 1 2 3 4 5 Full-Time 17 34 50 67 84 Part-Time 8 16 25 33 41 Total 25 50 75 100 125

Table 1c. Projected Number of CT Degrees Awarded

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 # of Degrees Awarded

0 13 13 13 30 30 30 30 30 30

Table 1c provides projections for the number of degrees awarded. It captures students that would not otherwise graduate because they would leave the current program and university, or not come here at all.



3.B. Financial Projections

Table C. Detailed projections for revenue and cost based on actual details. All credit hours come from Table B, based on the number of students. Other data and assumption as in the system’s FinancialProjections file. This data matches that in FinancialProjections and subsequently in Table 2.

Table C shows the computed financial projections. It assumes 25 new students a year until 125 new students in the program (250 total including shifting students). The calculation of revenue is based on only new additional revenue generated from additional new student credit hours as a result of the new CT degree.

Only the new Cmp Sci sections needed, when we reach full capacity, are calculated. Credit hours produced outside of Cmp Sci will be accomplished 80% by filling seats in under-enrolled sections and 20% by additional sections, especially in key courses such as freshman composition. This is based on current enrollment numbers, which as a result of declining enrollments over the last five years, have given us overall about 20% excess capacity, although not in all courses. Thus, the cost of accommodating such students is assumed to be 20% of the cost of Cmp Sci instructions in this calculation and in Financial Projections/Table 2.

3.B.1. Additional Resources Needed As shown in Table C, we anticipate 12 new sections in Cmp Sci starting in year five. Which will require two new positions, one TT in year two (teaching four sections) and one NTT in year four (teaching eight sections). Until then, some sections would be covered by adjuncts. We have not budgeted for marketing or for infrastructure costs because those expensed as centralized on the UMSL campus.

3.B.2. Revenue The revenues come solely from tuition and fees for the students taking the additional credit hours, as computed and discounted for the educational fee (0.155 per the Financial Projections system data). Revenue from CAS advising fee ($10.20) is not included as it is not in the Financial Projections file.

1 2 3 4 5 After 5Total new students 25 50 75 100 125 125CmpSci additional credit hours 361 531 702 873 1044 1044UMSL additional credit hours 588 1088 1588 2088 2588 2588Additional CmpSci sections 4.0 5.9 7.8 9.7 11.6 11.6Tuition+fee/credit hour 349.35$ 356.30$ 363.40$ 370.70$ 378.10$ 385.70$ UMSL revenue (discounted by ed. fees) 173,578$ 327,568$ 487,632$ 654,048$ 826,852$ 998,192$ CmpSci positions needed New TT New NTTCost of new positions +benefits -$ 128,460$ 130,957$ 241,383$ 246,149$ 251,086$ Cmp Sci adjuncts as needed 14,000$ 7,140$ 14,566$ -$ -$ -$ Other UMSL cost 2,800$ 27,120$ 29,105$ 48,277$ 49,230$ 50,217$ UMSL total cost 16,800$ 162,720$ 174,627$ 289,660$ 295,378$ 301,303$ UMSL total profits 156,778$ 164,848$ 313,005$ 364,389$ 531,473$ 696,889$ UMSL profit per new CmpSci section 39,086$ 27,940$ 40,129$ 37,566$ 45,817$ 60,077$

Year 1-5 starting 2018/2019 and thereafter (assuming 33% switch)


3.B.3. Net Revenue As shown in Table C the revenue exceeds the cost from the beginning, since we have additional student credits, even in the first year, and the additional Cmp Sci sections will be covered by adjuncts until year two. In year two, when we propose to hire a new TT faculty member, if the new students materialize, the expenses jump, but the revenues grow even higher, etc. Thus, the program is implemented with no initial resources needed.

3.B.4. Financial and Academic Viability Even if there were no new students, the added retention of existing students shifting to the new program will generate 13 program graduates a year. However, the program will be academically and financially viable with 25 students by year five. This is shown in Table 2: Enrollment and Table 3. However, we anticipate that we will have at least 20 new students beginning in year one.

Table 2. Enrollment at the End of Year 5 for the Program to be

Financially and Academically Viable. Viability Minimum Enrollment Financial 25 Academic 25

Table 3. Enrollment at the End of Year 5 for the Program to be

Financially and Academically Viable. Enrollment Status Full-Time Part-Time Total Number of Students 13 12 25


Financial Projections for Proposed Program for Years 1 through 5. Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 1. Expenses per year A. One-time New/Renovated Space

Equipment Library

Consultants Other

Total one-time B. Recurring

Faculty (TT/NTT and adjuncts in Cmp Sci,

and faculty/adjuncts in other departments

at 20% rate)

16,800 129,120 140,427 226,560 231,078

Staff Benefits 33,600 34,200 63,100 64,300

Equipment Library

Other Total recurring Total expenses (A+B) 16,800 162,720 174,627 289,660 295,378

2. Revenue per year

Tuition/Fees 173,578 327,568 487,632 654,048 826,852 Institutional Resources

State Aid -- CBHE State Aid -- Other

Total revenue 173,578 327,568 487,632 654,048 826,852 3. Net revenue (loss) per year 156,778 164,848 313,005 364,389 531,473

4. Cumulative revenue (loss) 156,778 321,626 634,631 999,019 1,530,493


3.C. Business and Marketing Plan: Recruiting and Retaining Students We will advertise this program in our existing marketing and advertising channels for the current CS program. This is possible because the two programs are related and both programs attract the similar types of students. Moreover, students would be able to switch between the programs generally up to their senior year. Thus, no separate marketing and advertising campaign is needed.

While some existing students will shift to this program making the program financially and academically viable even without new students, the real growth will come from completely new students to campus who otherwise would not come here. As the program starts graduating students and they find the same recognition and reputation in the local marketplace as our CS graduates, we will use this information to further advertise the program to students who would otherwise not come to our existing CS program.

We estimate that the new program will be able to graduate at least 60% of entering students, as opposed to the current 50% in the existing program, a number that is consistent with graduation rates in other STEM disciplines. This increase in graduation rate is virtually guaranteed since, as stated previously, careful data analysis reveals that the current program is losing most of its students in two places: students not passing all the required Math courses in the current program, and students not passing or not taking the senior level CS depth courses. And exactly these two roadblocks are alleviated in the new program.

4. Institutional Capacity No new courses are needed to implement this new program. Initially we have capacity for more students who can be accommodated largely with the current resources while providing financial and academic viability. As the program grows we will need two new positions, one tenure-track in year two (teaching four sections) and one non-tenure-track faculty in year four (teaching eight sections). The need for these full-time positions reflects a very competitive and agile market for computer science and the need for a sustained faculty commitment to the program. Until we hire these faculty, some sections would be covered by adjuncts.

5. Program Characteristics

5.A. Program Outcomes The following are the specific skillsets that every graduating student will possess:

1. Familiarity with both Windows and Linux operating systems and platforms. a. Under Windows, students will also be very familiar and experienced

with the .NET framework.


b. Under Linux, students will be skilled and experienced with shell programming and scripting, and with using productivity tools.

2. Working knowledge of multiple programing languages a. General purpose languages C, C++, Java, VB b. Internet and other specialty languages such as HTML5, Python, PHP

3. Working knowledge of modern source control (git). 4. Working knowledge and experience with installing, designing, implementing,

populating and querying databases. 5. Working knowledge of industry leading IDEs: Eclipse and VS. 6. Relatively sound mathematical foundations as compared to non-CS

graduates. 7. Working understanding of software development process and software

testing including incremental development and agile processes. 8. Understanding of basic components and terminology of a computer, allowing

making informed installation and purchasing decisions. 9. Understanding of the professional ethics and software dilemma, including

aspects such as trademarks, licensing, copyright, etc. 10. Working knowledge of advanced Java technologies for Internet.

In addition, based on the choice of electives, students are likely to acquire many of the following working skills:

1. Basic to more advanced cybersecurity. 2. App development under Android and iOS. 3. Modern front-end technologies such as MongoDB, AngularJS, React, jQuery,

Node.js, Express.js. 4. Enterprise technologies and frameworks such as Spring, Hibernate. 5. Networking, Internet of Things, network security. 6. Game design. 7. Computer graphics.

5.B. Structure This is a 120 credit hour BS degree in the College of Arts and Sciences that makes extensive use of existing courses used for the CS degree. The following courses illustrate the use of existing courses that fulfill the requirement of the new CT degree program. Courses shared between CS and CT are highlighted.

• Computer Science Cmp Sci core (27 hours, 36-42 total with electives) o 1250 Introduction to Computing o 2250 Programming and Data Structures o 2261 Object Oriented Programming o 2700 Computer Organization and Architecture o 2750 System Programming and Tools o 3010 Web Programming o 4010 Advanced Web Development with Java


o 4500 Introduction to the Software Profession (capstone) o 4610 Database Management Systems

• Math core (11 hours) o Math 1320 Applied Statistics o Math 1800 Calculus I o Math 3000 Discrete Structures

• Information Systems InfSys core (6 hours, 6-12 with electives) o InfSys 3844 Developing Business Applications in .NET o InfSys 3868 Secure Software Development

• Technology electives (9-15 hours in Cmp Sci, 0-6 hours in Inf Sys, total 15 hours)

o 15 hours additional electives, 3000 or above, at most two in Inf Sys, the remaining in Cmp Sci

• English (3 hours) o 3130 Technical Writing

• General university requirements (27-42 hours)

5.C. Program Design and Content The curriculum was first designed by a committee made up of members of CS faculty, including TT and NTT faculty. Then the program was modified in discussion with the Information Systems (InfSys) department. Finally, the program was discussed and approved by the department, including Math TT and NTT faculty, before moving through the Curriculum and Instruction Committees of the College of Art and Sciences and the UMSL Senate.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE 1. Total credits required for graduation

36-42 Cmp Sci 11 Math 12-6 InfSys 3 Engl 27 General education 31 Free electives ------

120 Total required for graduation


2. Residency requirements, if any: university requirements UMSL requires 30 out of the last 36 hours to be earned in residency, and at least 15 major hours in residency. 3. General education: university requirements UMSL requires 42 hours in general education. The major requirements in the next section will satisfy all required hours in Mathematics proficiency, Information literacy and in Mathematics & life/natural sciences (showing as /0), resulting in 27 additional general education hours for students in this program. Total credits for general education courses: 27 Courses (specific course or distribution area and credit hours):

Course Hrs Course Hrs Course Hrs First year writing 3 Information

literacy 3/0 Social sciences 9

Communication proficiency

3 US history & government

3 Math & Life/Natural sciences

9/0

Mathematics proficiency

3/0 Humanities & fine arts

9

4. Major requirements Total credits specific to degree (assuming one elective in InfSys of the two possible). The specific courses were listed in section 3.A.1. Courses (specific course or distribution area and credit hours):

Course Hrs Course Hrs Course Hrs Cmp Sci 1250 3 Cmp Sci 4500 3 InfSys 3868 3 Cmp Sci 2250 3 Cmp Sci 4610 3 InfSys 3000+ 3 Cmp Sci 2261 3 Cmp Sci 3000+ 3 Math 1320 3 Cmp Sci 2700 3 Cmp Sci 3000+ 3 Math 1800 5 Cmp Sci 2750 3 Cmp Sci 3000+ 3 Math 3000 3 Cmp Sci 3010 3 Cmp Sci 3000+ 3 Engl 3130 3 Cmp Sci 4010 3 InfSys 3844 3

5. Free elective credits Total free elective credits: 21 The sum of hours required for general education, major requirements and free electives should equal the total credits required for graduation.


6. Requirement for thesis, internship or other capstone experience: The program includes required Cmp Sci 4500, which is a capstone course with individual and group projects and presentations. In addition, an internship course in Cmp Sci is one of the available electives. There are no other specific requirements. 7. Any unique features such as interdepartmental cooperation: The program is a result of collaboration between two departments in two colleges: the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, which is the home department, and the Department of Information Systems in the College of Business Administration. The program is mostly based in the home department, utilizing its existing courses, but the program also uses courses from InfSys, improving the utilization if some of those courses and supplementing Cmp Sci courses.

5.D. Program Goals and Assessment The learning outcome, and thus the outcome from the program, will be assessed in multiple ways:

• Outcome from individual courses will be measured by passing rates as compared to existing passing rates.

• Outcome from the program will be measured by a standard major field exit exam using the Computer Science exam. While students will be expected to do poorly on areas not covered by the new program, other areas should be covered as well or better as at present.

• Monitoring offers at graduation, and placement after graduation, and comparing those to these in the current program.

We expect the graduation rate in this new program to be 10% higher (60% vs. 50%) than those in the current program. Moreover, we also expect the graduation rate in the current CS program to increase 60%, as a portion of students switching to the new CT program and graduating are the students who have been struggling in the current CS program and not graduating.

Because of the high market demand for jobs in computer technology it seems reasonable that the job placement rates will remain the same for graduates of the new CT program as those for graduates of the current CS program. As listed before, in 2017, 46% of the graduating seniors had jobs or offers before graduation averaging over $60k.

The ultimate measures of success will be:

1. Increased graduation rates for students starting the current CS program.


2. Increased graduation rates for students in the new CT program. 3. Placement rates and salary ranges for new CT graduates parallel to graduates

of the current CT program. 4. Total number of students in both programs, to exceed the current number of

students in the current program.

5.E. Student Preparation There are no specific requirements for entering the new CT program. This differs from the current CS program, which requires students with strong Math. The new CT program is more likely to attract and serve students who are interested in computing technologies.

5.F. Faculty and Administration Dr. C. Janikow, who helped design the program, will oversee the program and will be responsible for monitoring and measuring the program’s outcomes. Dr. Janikow is the current Chair of the department and this new duty will be a part of his responsibilities. Otherwise, this duty will fall on next the CS Chair/coChair. Dr. Janikow will be aided by other CS faculty who will serve as advisors for this new CT program and will participate in committees reviewing this program and making any periodical changes or adjustments.

Since we expect some students to switch between the programs, and students may be moving between the programs up to their senior year, the current CS advisors will advise students in both programs. This will help undecided students. As the CT program grows, the two additional faculty positions will provide additional advising capacity.

The current undergraduate advisors are (we are currently hiring two replacement NTT faculty for next year):

1. Keith Miller, Ph.D. 2. Badri Adhikari, Ph.D. 3. Wenjie He, Ph.D. 4. Mark Hauschild, Ph.D. 5. Sharlee Climer, Ph.D. 6. Uday Chakraborty, Ph.D. 7. New NTT 8. New NTT

Some of the courses, especially some of the new technology oriented courses, are taught by adjuncts who are experts in their respective fields. We currently cover about 85% of sections with full time faculty and we expect this to continue with the new CT program.


The new CT program is oriented toward technology, and technology changes very rapidly. Therefore, we anticipate that some occasional support may be necessary for full time faculty to become experts in such new technologies to bring them to the classroom. We were able to handle this in the past five years, with our own resources and help from college and campus, and we expect this to continue.

5.G. Alumni and Employer Survey We started collecting survey data for our graduating CS seniors electronically in the past year, and then following the same alumni yearly after graduation. We plan to use the same tracking methods for graduates of the new CT program.

With the data collected from graduates of the new CT program, we will approach the most common employers and ask them to provide feedback regarding the program and student preparation, and we will make program adjustments to ensure quality.

5.H. Program Accreditation The topic of accreditation was discussed with our advisory council, and they indicated that in CS and related technology areas accreditation is not necessary, and instead the skill sets and reputation of the program are much more important. Reputation is especially important for us as most of our graduates are expected to stay in this area. Therefore, we will focus on maintaining our reputation for high quality graduates and providing the right skills as opposed to accreditation.

Appendices 1. Len Sanker –Mastercard Vice President 2. Tim Hebel – Beanstalk Web Solutions Owner and Founder. 3. Scott DeWeese – Byrne Software Technologies, Inc., Assoc. Vice President


Appendix: 1 Letter of support from CS Advisory Council and Mastercard VP.


APPENDIX: 2

Software Development | Managed Services | IT Consulting | IT Staffing |Accela |Benefits Admin. Mgmt.

16091 Swingley Ridge Road, Suite 200

Chesterfield, MO 63017

Phone (636) 537-2505 Fax (636) 537.2666

www.byrnesoftware.com

October 30, 2018

I am Scott DeWeese, Associate Vice President at Byrne Software Technologies. I am responsible for our

medical claims adjudication system and related software products. Our company provides software and

project management solutions across many diverse industries; e.g., claims adjudication, insurance

billing, pension & benefits management, collections & eligibility management, government permitting &

planning management, construction management, medical studies management, warehouse equipment

tracking, and many others.

We have a wide range of employees, who have varied technical roles such as technical support,

desktop/web developer, database developer, project lead, architect, etc. These different roles often

require various sets of skills. Many of these skills are developed or honed over their career, but they

almost all start from the skills and knowledge initially obtained during their initial education. Along with

the expected skills of knowing how to program using various technologies, some of the skills that I see as

being very important are oral and written communications, problem solving, debugging, and the ability

to learn and apply new skills.

I am a member of the UMSL Computer Science Advisory Council and I am familiar with the department

as I am an alumnus of the BS program in computer science and I completed some postgraduate work at

UMSL.

I believe that the proposed Bachelor of Science in Computer Technology program will be a useful

complement to the existing Computer Science program. It exchanges some of the more theoretical

skills, from the traditional CS program, with some practical skills of interest to the general business

industry. The skills it will provide mesh well with the needs of the industry and should serve the

graduate well in finding careers that include software development, computer programmer, database

programmer/administrator, web/mobile developer, and system architect. Our company is looking for

people with these skills. These are skills that would be important for other companies in the region, and

nationally.

Sincerely,

Scott DeWeeseAssociate Vice President


APPENDIX: 3

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